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Raptors escape with a 98-93 win over Magic

Published on NewsOK
Modified: March 30, 2014 at 8:48 pm •
Published: March 30, 2014

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — After Toronto locked up its first postseason berth since 2008 last week, coach Dwane Casey cautioned the Raptors to not get complacent down the stretch with teams still vying for playoff position.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) makes a move to get around Orlando Magic's Victor Oladipo (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 30, 2014. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

He's hoping that a nearly disastrous letdown against Orlando will send a stronger message.

DeMar DeRozan had 28 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Raptors escaped with a 98-93 victory over the Magic on Sunday night.

Toronto led by as many as 21 points before having to stave off Orlando's late charge.

Trailing 96-93 with 8.9 seconds to play, the Magic had the ball and an opportunity to tie the game. But coming out of a timeout they failed to inbound the ball, turning it over on a 5-second violation. DeRozan was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to save the win.

"They saw the 20-point lead and like any NBA team, they let their guard down," Casey said. "That's a development we've got to have — to keep the intensity, keep your foot on their neck and keep it down."

Kyle Lowry added 16 points.

The win was the Raptors' third in a row and seventh straight over the Magic. Toronto swept the season series 3-0.

"We still haven't done anything yet in this league. We haven't played a playoff game, we haven't won a playoff series, we haven't done anything, so we still have a long way to go and we understand that," DeRozan said. "It's time to take the next step, finish the season off strong, and then the next step will come after that."

Nik Vucevic led the Magic with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jameer Nelson and Victor Oladipo each added 16 points.

Orlando shot 55 percent for the game, but also had 19 turnovers that led to 19 Raptors' points.

DeRozan had more free-throw attempts (16) than the entire Magic team.

Asked about the 27-14 discrepancy in attempts between the teams, Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn brushed it off.

"I'm just going to say the referees were great throughout the game. I'll leave it at that," Vaughn said.

After struggling offensively for most of the second half, the Magic cut a 21-point deficit to 76-73 on a layup by Tobias Harris with 9:53 to play in the game.